November is Lung Cancer Awareness month and everyone here at my Boulder, Colorado dental office would like to educate and remind you about the dangers of tobacco use. While not every patient fighting lung cancer is a tobacco user, tobacco use is the main risk factor for developing this life-threatening disease. Additionally, smoking is not only damaging to your lungs, it can cause some serious problems in your mouth as well.

Smoking can contribute and lead to several unwanted health and dental consequences including raising the risk of oral cancer, periodontal (gum) disease and discoloration of teeth. These scary realities of tobacco use make scheduling and keeping regular dental appointments even more important.

Here at Lisa Kalfas, DDS, we believe your body is best in its natural state and that great health starts with early detection. That’s why we encourage regular dental exams and screenings so we can find any potential problems and treat them early with the least invasive treatment. With things like oral cancer and periodontal disease, early detection is key.

We will screen you at every exam for periodontal disease and oral cancer. Both of these diseases can be treated if caught early. While we always check your mouth for any abnormalities including swelling, small sores or lesions and discoloration – which could all be signs of oral cancer, we also check for periodontal disease which could have symptoms of puffiness or tenderness of the gums, receding gums, bad breath or loose-feeling teeth. If you do have periodontal disease, we will develop a treatment plan that not only focuses on just your mouth, but your overall health as well.

Lifestyle factors including smoking, drinking wine, coffee or soda and other things, can result in unwanted discoloration of teeth. We can help with that as well. Our safe, fast and effective smile whitening methods will get your teeth whiter and brighter than ever before. We offer both at-home systems as well in-office treatments that will take your smile from dull to white with no hassle.

During Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and every month, it’s important to become educated on the dangers of tobacco use and also reflect on the dental damage smoking can cause. Call my Boulder, Colorado dental office today at 303-447-9161 and have us treat you and your smile to a lifetime of health.